Wire handle for sealed cartons



Oct. 29, 1968 J 5, WAPNER 3,407,988

WIRE HANDLE FOR SEALED CARTONS Filed March 8, 1967 INVENTOR. JOSEPH S. WAPN ER FIG. 4

ATTORNEY United States Patent 01 Bee 3,407,988 Patented Oct. 29, 1968 3,407,988 WIRE HANDLE FOR SEALED CARTONS Joseph S. Wapner, 69 Scarlet N. Oak Road, Levittown, Pa. 19056 Filed Mar. 8, 1967, Ser. No. 621,481 Claims. (Cl. 229-52) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A wire handle directly attachable to a carton and having a pair of forks disposed at right angles to arms depending from the ends of a handle section, the forks each having a free tine whose pointed end is spaced from the junction of the other tine and the associated arm by a distance slightly greater than the thickness of the carton wall, whereby when the carton wall is pierced and engaged by the forks, no damage is done to the' carton contents.

This invention relates generally to handles for sealed cartons, and more particularly to a wire handle which is directly attachable to a corrugated board carton without causing damage to the contents thereof.

Most consumer products, such as radios, broilers, and the like, are packaged by the manufacturer in sealed corrugated board cartons, for such cartons, even though fabricated of kraft paper, have relatively high strength and serve to protect the contents. In general, small cartons for consumer products are made of single or double-wall corrugated board, the corrugated sheet or sheets being laminated to facing panels. A typical double-wall corrugated board has a thickness of A In modern merchandising techniques, as practiced, for example, by large discount houses, the goods on sale are not removed from their sealed cartons, but only a sample thereof is displayed to permit the consumer to make his choice. When a purchase is made, the consumer does not receive the sample he has examined, but an identical prepackaged product. Thus the seller is relieved of the need to place the product in a carton, to insert protective material within the carton, and to seal the carton. However, the purchaser is not usually able to carry out the sealed carton unless he is supplied with a handle, and it become necessary, therefore, to tie up the carton with twine and to attach a wire handle thereto.

The conventional wire handle includes hooks which are adapted to engage the twine. The difliculty with the usual procedure is that the tying-up process is time-consuming and costly to the store, for skilled personnel must be employed for this purpose. In a busy store, one often finds purchasers lined up waiting for their cartons to be tied and to have handles attached, thus slowing down the transaction rate and inconveniencing the customers.

In an attempt to overcome this drawback, special cartons have been designed with openings therein adapted to receive wire handles having prongs which enter these openings. The drawback to this arrangement is that it adds substantially to the cost of manufacturing the cartons and at best is only feasible when the store carries a small line of products, all housed in the same type of carton. But where in a typical modern store, the cartons are in a great variety of sizes, and are received from diverse product manufacturers, it is not possible to standardize these cartons, for each manufacturer supplies his own style.

Accordingly, it is the main object of this invention to provide a wire handle which is directly attachable to a conventional sealed carton of any size, and which permits a purchaser to carry the carton without the need to first bind it.

More specifically, it is an object of this invention to provide a wire handle which includes sharp prongs adapted to pierce the wall of the carton, whereby the handle may be directly hooked thereto, without however, in any way injuring the contents of the carton or impairing the strength of the pierced wall.

Also an object of the invention is to provide a handle of the above type which may be quickly attached to the carton without the slightest difficulty and without exercising skill.

A significant feature of the invention is that the handle may be mass-produced at very low cost by standard wireworking techniques. The use of the handle leads to significant operating economies, for stores and other establishments making use of the handle may dispense with personnel to tie packages and use existing stockroom assistants to attach the handle.

Briefly stated, these objects are attained in a handle in which a single piece of wire is bent to define a handle section having a pair of arms at either end, each arm terminating in a U-shaped fork whose tines lie at right angles to the arm. The end of one tine of each fork is joined to the associated arm to provide a fulcrum, the end of the free tine being pointed to pierce the carton wall to which the handle is to be attached, the distance between the fulcrum and said pointed end being substantially equal to or slightly greater than the thickness of the wall.

In attaching the handle the pointed tine is forced into the wall, and the fork is pivoted about its fulcrum, whereby the free tine swings under the Wall, the wall then being clamped between the tines.

For a better understanding of the invention, as well as other objects and further features thereof, reference is made to the following detailed description to be read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a handle in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 shows the handle attached to a corrugated board carton;

FIG. v3 illustrates the wall of the carton in cross section, the handle being shown as it is about to be attached;

FIG. 4 shows one fork of the handle in its fully attached position; and

FIG. 5 is a modified form of fork.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a handle in accordance with the invention, which is made from a single piece of wire of metal or high-strength synthetic plastic material such as multi-filament nylon. The wire is bent by standard wire-working techniques to define a linear handle section 10 having arms 11 and 12, depending perpendicularly therefrom at either end, the arms terminating in U-shaped forks 13 and 14 whose parallel tines lie at right angles to the arms.

Fork 13 includes a short tine 13A whose end is joined to arm 11, the elbow acting as a fulcrum 15. Similarly, fork 14 includes a short time 14A whose end is joined to arm 12, the elbow acting as a fulcrum 16. Fork 13 is provided with a long or free tine 13B which is in parallel relation to tine 13A, the end of the free tine being sharply pointed. In a like manner, fork 14 has a free time 14B with a pointed end 14C.

The handle is readily attachable to a carton, such as carton C in FIG. 2, the handle being hooked to the top wall thereof. The carton is fully sealed by the use of staples or gum tape, but is not tied, since the handle is directly connected thereto. As shown in FIG. 3, the top wall 17 is formed of corrugated board which, by way of example, is of two-ply construction, having an outer panel 17A and an inner panel 17B. In attaching the handle, the

hand section and arms 11 and 12 are placed down on the outer panel 17A, and the upright long tines 13B and 14B of the forks are then pressed into the corrugated board until ,fulcrums 15 and 16 rest on the surface of the board.

The forks are dimensioned so that the distance D between end point 13C and fulcrum 15 of fork 13 is substantially equal to or slightly greater than the thickness d of the corrugated board 17. The same relationship exists as to fork 14. Since the distance between end point 13C and the intermediate point Y on tine 13B, which is coincident with outer panel 17A when tine 13 is in its upright position, is shorter than thickness d, point 13C does not reach the inner panel 17B.

The hand section 10 of the handle is then lifted above the surface of outer panel 17A, thereby causing forks 13 and 14 to pivot about fulcrums 15 and 16, respectively. As a consequence, the end point 13C of fork 13 swings in an arcuate path until it is in vertical alignment with fulcrum 15, and since the distance between fulcrum 15 and the point is slightly greater than the thickness of the board, the end point 13C then protrudes slightly from inner panel 17B. As the swing is continued, tine 133 then slides along the surface of inner pael 17B to occupy the position shown in FIG. 4.

It is important to note that the end point 13C never projects more than slightly below the board, hence in attaching the handle, no danger exists that the handle fork will damage the contents of the carton. When the handle is installed, a portion of the board 17 is sandwiched between the tines of forks 13 and 14, thus securely hooking the handle to the carton. The weight of the contents imposes a downward force on the forks, but the free tines will not eat into the board unless the load is unusually heavy. For anticipated heavy loads, the handle wire is made thicker to adequately support the carton suspended therefrom. While the carton has been described as of corrugated construction, the handle, in accordance with the invention, is not limited to such cartons, and is usable with any carton material whose wall can be penetrated by pointed prongs.

In the construction of the handle, it is not vital that the free prong be longer than the attached prong, for the essential requirement is only that the distance D between the sharpened end point of the free prong and the fulcrum be equal to or slightly greater than the thickness of the carton wall. Thus in the modified fork 18 shown in FIG. 5, the tine 18A secured to arm 19 of the handle is curved at the junction area or elbow 20 to extend the distance between the pointed end 18C of the free tine 18B and the fulcrum to the desired length, without the need to make the tine 18B longer than tine 18A.

In practice, a tubular sleeve 21 of wood or plastic may be slipped over hand section 10 to provide a more comfortable grip. Alternatively, the wire in this section may be corrugated to form finger sockets.

While there have been shown and described preferred embodiments of wire handle for cartons in accordance with the invention, it will be appreciated that many changes and modifications may be made therein without, however, departing from the essential spirit of the invention as defined in the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

1. A wire handle for a sealed corrugated board carton having a predetermined wall thickness, said handle being formed from a single piece of wire which is bent to define a hand section having arms depending therefrom at either end, each arm terminating in a U-shaped fork which includes a first tine connected to said arm by an elbow acting as a fulcrum, and a second and free tine having a sharp end point which is adapted to pierce the wall of said carton, thereby admitting said free tine to the interior of said wall and causing said fulcrum to engage the outer surface thereof, the distance between said fulcrum and said point being slightly greater than the thickness of the carton wall, whereby when the handle is then swung about said fulcrum, said free tine is caused to engage the inner surface of the wall and said first tine is caused to engage the outer surface thereof.

2. A handle as set forth in claim 1, wherein said wire is made of metal.

3. A handle as set forth in claim 1, wherein said wire is made of synthetic plastic material in multi-filament form.

V 4. A handle as set forth in claim 1, wherein said free tine is longer than said first tine.

5. A handle as set forth in claim 1, wherein said two tines are of the same length, the junction of said arm and the first tine being curved to increase the distance between said point and the fulcurm.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,243,565 10/1917 Smith 224-45.14 1,537,421 5/ 1925 Driscoll.

2,132,246 10/1938 Shapiro 229-52 2,397,880 4/ 1946 Newman 22952 2,524,152 10/1950 Whittaker 22952 2,636,663 4/1953 Hauck 22952 2,717,437 9/1955 De Mestral 161-65 2,788,934 4/1957 Cain 22952 2,998,908 9/ 1961 Harvey 22952 DAVIS T. MOORHEAD, Primary Examiner. 

